The Stories of Elysion
by Pikomajin
Summary: How did the door to Paradise open...? That story lies within the pages of Sound Horizon's story, Elysion. This fanfiction takes the amazing musical stories of Elysion and modifies them into a version that can be read rather than heard.
1. El no Shouzou

The Stories of Elysion [side:E] - Chapter I

El no Shouzou

The cold, wintery wind blew fiercely, and crystals of snow and ice rained down from the sky. Icicles decorated the branches of the white, snow-covered trees in the forest. The snow had not stopped falling here for the longest time... It seemed as though the winter would never end here. Though Spring, no matter how unbelievable it seemed, was closer than anyone had thought. Soon this forest would be the beginning of life once again... Soon it would return to its original, lively state. But until the day of Spring's arrival, the forest would remain a desolate, empty, frozen landscape...

The temperature seemed to keep dropping as the boy trudged through the deep snow, trying his hardest to keep himself warm against the subzero temperature. He shivered, wondering if he was anywhere near the kingdom he had heard about. _"Surely, I must have taken a wrong turn," _he thought, _"Surely, I am going to die here."_ But determined to keep his life, if nothing else, he pressed onward. After a while, the black-eyed boy had to stop to take a rest. He found a nice place in the forest where he would be able to stay sheltered and warm, under the massive branches of one of the large trees. He looked around for a moment, taking in the sight of the forest, trying to identify exactly where in the world he was. "Looks like I have a ways to go..." he mumbled to himself, smiling wearily. The cold air gnawed at his face, and he moved the blanket up further so that it covered his nose. He stood up, forming a tight wrap around his body with the blanket, and pressed onward. By this time, his feet were still exhausted... so numb and raw that he could hardly lift them. The boy grew dizzy and would often stumble... "_Should I fall once more,"_ he'd always think, _"I feel that I shall take in my last breath of this deadly, utterly cold air."_ The boy fell often... As a matter of fact, he was often very clumsy and he tended to fall quite a bit. Yet something kept him from dying... Something always made him stand up once more... What was that force? Why was it that he kept trying to continue on his hopeless journey? ...Why, it was the call of destiny... His life... He... he would live on to seek many things... He would live on to seek...

..._Elysion_...

At last, through the thick sheet of snow and ice did the boy see a single flicker of light, as though it were coming from a house. He was filled with joy... He had survived this cruel and painful journey that he had set out on! But to his dismay, all that met his eye was a single house. Yet for it being out in the middle of the forest, he was quite fortunate to have run across a place that would provide him even the slightest bit of hospitality. Unable to run, he dragged his feet along the cold, rugged ground until he had reached the door. His nearly blackened, frost-bitten knuckles stung as he pounded on the door with them, eager to get inside to the warmth. He waited... There was no answer. His heart racing, he pounded again, only this time harder... and yet again he received no answer. Suddenly, removing the blanket from over his mouth, he began to cough... and with his cough came a spurt of blood which stained the pure white snow. He fell to his knees, trying to catch his bearings... wiping some of the blood from his chin using the blanket. His body couldn't take much more of this, so he staggered to his feet and turned the door knob... and to his surprise, the door opened smoothly. As quick as his frozen legs could carry him, he rushed into the house, immediately shutting the door behind him to trap the heat inside that was coming from the fire in the fireplace. He wheeled around, assuming that he would find at least one person staring strangely at him... but there was no one in this small, one-roomed house. In fact, there was nothing in this house at all except the fireplace, the small fire, and a portrait. The black-eyed boy felt like fainting... he was too weak from traveling. But just before he gave in to his fatigue, he noticed the portrait above the fireplace. He walked up to it to examine it... and it was a picture of a young girl.

The little girl had eyes as red as a wine, and her hair was as white as the snow itself. She was clad in a white, very lovely little gown, and she wore a small, delicate smile on her face. Her skin was so pale and so soft that it looked too fragile for one to touch. The boy stared at the girl for a long while. He though for a moment... he thought about her. Who was she? Who was this beautiful young maiden who stared back at him from this picture? More importantly... _where_ was she? The boy dropped his blanket, revealing a body dressed in thickly layered robes... but purple, frost-bitten hands that matched the color of his lips. He gently touched the portrait and smiled. Whoever this girl was... she captivated him. His eyes remained fixed on her face... but he couldn't help but notice the distorted, child-like writing that was placed in the corner of the portrait. He whispered the text to himself. "To my dearest daughter, Elys, on her eighth birthday." The beautiful young girl's name was Elys. The boy removed his hand from the portrait, but kept smiling... He felt warm inside, despite his deteriorating condition. "Elys," he repeated. "Her name is Elys!" he finally yelled, putting everything he had into the shouting of her name. Then the black-eyed boy fell to his knees, and began to cough up more blood. Yet he was never able to stop smiling, no matter how much pain and suffering he was going through at the present moment. He fell on his back, gazing up at the portrait of Elys. He kept smiling, and alas, he began to exhale his final breath...

_...He was in love with Elys._

This love would sustain the test of time... setting the base of life for all those who would follow the boy and Elys... Abyss and El... Through their story, the lost Elysion would evolve. Paradise would be unlocked, and as long daughters grew into mothers and gave birth to daughters, that Paradise would be lost, but then unlocked again, lost, then unlocked. This cycle will continue eternally... Nothing can stop the flow of time, not even in Elysion itself, just as nothing can stop the calling that comes from the portrait of love and hate. Because of this... before long, man would eventually seek his ideal... he would seek for woman. Before long... the black-eyed boy would find his keyhole... and he would unlock the door to Elysion. Before long... man would seek for his Elysion... the paradise that had been long lost. Before long... the black-eyed boy would find his girl... Elys. Abyss and El are drawn to each other... just as Adam and Eve will continiue to search for each other. From the Elysion they find... just how many illusions are sparked from that beautiful, barren world...?

_And so... How many times will the door to paradise open...?_

End Chapter I


	2. El no Ehon: Majo to Lafrenze

The Stories of Elysion [side:E] - Chapter II

El no Ehon [Majo to Lafrenze]

**Mature Content Warning:**

This chapter contains some brief sexual material that some readers may find inappropriate.

**Reader/Parental discretion is STRONGLY advised.**

_How did... the door to Paradise open...?_

The wind rustled through the green trees, making a whistling sound throughout the forest. The spring had finally arrived after a long winter, and flowers were in full bloom. The forest was teaming with life... Gentle deer would prance about, butterflies would land on the majestic lycoris, and the lovely melody of the birds' songs only heightened the feeling of relaxation that one would get from a place as peaceful as this. It resembled a paradise, this forest did... In fact, it almost resembled Elysion. But there were impurities, as small as they were, scattered about around the forest and in various places in the forest as well. Though these woods appeared to be deserted and completely empty of human life... the cry of a small baby pierced the stillness of the forest. Here, in these woods, the little baby had been abandoned...

"After her! When thou do catch her, bring her forth so that she may be burned! If she refuses to comply, then thou do have my permission to burn her and her home on the spot!" demanded the King. The Queen nodded her head in agreement, and the both of them sent the bounty hunters off to find the one-eyed witch, known as the Crimson Old Rose, who lived in the kingdom. They rode off on their horses, looking as if they would crush anyone who dared cross their path and slow them down. They rode on into the village, where Crimson Old Rose lived. Meanwhile, in her home, the old witch sat hiding in the darkest of corners, waiting in fear for the inevitable arrival of the bounty hunters that had been ordered to capture her and bring her to her death. She trembled, ready with a staff in hand in case she would have to use her magic to escape the grasp of the hunters. Now, Crimson Old Rose didn't understand why she would be considered a threat to anyone, as she hadn't caused any havoc in years, and had actually provided some assistance from time to time. Of course she did enjoy playing practical jokes, as any witch of any age did. But it still seemed senseless for the Royal Family to take such an action as the one they were taking now. At long last, the long awaited, long feared, knock on the door finally broke the silence of the inside of Crimson Old Rose's hut. "Crimson Old Rose," shouted one of the bounty hunters, reading the warrant for her arrest, "Thou art wanted by the King and Queen, charged for the act of witchcraft! Surrender thyself or be burned along with thy home!" Crimson Old Rose chuckled quietly to herself... but soon that cackle grew into a roaring torrent of laughter. The bounty hunter became enraged. "Dost thou wish to be instantly put to death here?! This is thy last chance, witch!" he shouted at the old woman inside the house. Crimson Old Rose finally got her bearings and yelled back at the hunter, "It seems to matter not to me, as I wouldst only be burned sooner if I refused!" The hunter signaled for his team to throw the torches they carried with them at the witch's house. Just before they set her house ablaze, he yelled, "Then thou shall burn in hell, Crimson Old Rose!" The fire instantly engulfed the straw and mud hut, and within a few minutes it collapsed. Little did the hunters know that, being a witch, Crimson Old Rose was able to outsmart them with her magic. She had escaped the blaze just before it had consumed her house. But now there was nothing left for her here... She had to move on from this kingdom to the next, and in order to make that trip, she would have to journey through the forest.

After hiding in the town all day long, Crimson Old Rose escaped the kingdom with the nightfall, beginning her journey through the forest. She used her staff to support herself, but still often tripped over roots and rocks that were sticking up out of the ground. She didn't seem to mind it, though. In fact, the witch adored the beautiful scenery of the forest and the songs of the birds that surrounded her wherever she went. It would be a long, but by no means uneventful, trip to the other kingdom. In fact, Crimson Old Rose would soon have a very... fateful encounter. Crimson Old Rose continued to walk on, and on, and on... In time, the sun began to rise, and she began to look for a place to rest. She had traveled approximately 7 kilometers over night, which wasn't bad for an old woman such as herself. Crimson Old Rose chose the shelter of a small hole in the base of a fir tree as her spot to rest for the day, until she had to set out once more at nightfall. She was full of anxiety, not knowing whether or not the other kingdom knew much about her... She was a well-known witch, after all. If so, then she would have no place left to run, and eventually it would be discovered that she hadn't really died in the blaze back at her home kingdom. She would be killed for sure if both kingdoms had ordered her capture... and that would cause havoc that no one could imagine. It took a while for her to forget about all of this, but eventually Crimson Old Rose's mind was at ease, and she fell asleep. But at no later than noon was she awoken to an odd noise to hear in the forest. It was the sound... of a young infant crying. _"What on God's earth...?"_ thought Crimson Old Rose, who cautiously got up to seek out the infant who was crying in the woods. It wasn't long before she found it in a small hole at the base of a fir tree similar to hers. She cautiously approached the baby, moving the blankets that covered its head so that she could see its face. Then, Crimson Old Rose gasped. "Well I'll be damned..." she said to herself in disbelief. The baby had silver hair, scarlet eyes, and skin as white as snow... Then the witch removed the entire blanket, rendering it naked. She noticed that the baby was a girl... and this girl could quite possibly carry on in Crimson Old Rose's place when she died as not only a famous witch, but the guardian of the Underworld. It would be necessary to keep the balance in this world... and since Crimson Old Rose hadn't had any children of her own, who better to pass it on to than this young, abandoned baby girl? The witch smiled and wrapped the baby up once more, rocking her gently to calm her crying. "There there, my child..." said Crimson Old Rose kindly, "I know what thy name shall be... I shall name thee... Lafrenze." Soon, Lafrenze fell asleep in the witch's arms, and the witch fell asleep in the hole where she had found Lafrenze. From that day on, without the knowledge of even Crimson Old Rose herself, the story of two Paradises had begun...

_Was it fortune or misfortune... that the child who was abandoned as though for fear that someone might discover it, was taken in by Crimson Old Rose...?_

Eventually, Crimson Old Rose and Lafrenze did safely make it to the new kingdom, and lived in a small hut on the very edge of the village. Crimson Old Rose taught Lafrenze everything she would need to know... and she grew old and weak. Lafrenze, now a fine witch, the new guardian of the Underworld, and the holder of the key to Paradise, grew into a beautiful young girl who could stop a man's heart with a single look, and who sent envious shivers down the spines of women. Day after day, Lafrenze would be begged by the spirits who resided in the Underworld to be let free, but she always refused. She was a strong girl who gave in to no temptation, or at least, almost no temptation. Lafrenze, when she was not guarding the gates of the Underworld, would take care of Crimson Old Rose, who always talked to her and gave her advice for her job as the guardian. One of the things that the witch always told her was how important her job was, and how critical it was for her to guard the Underworld so that no one who had passed through those gates would ever be let out. Lafrenze would always respond to lectures like this with, "Oh mother, I understand!" or "Yes, I am aware of that..." Crimson Old Rose would just smile and tell her that she was just reminding her. Time after time, Crimson Old Rose would also tell Lafrenze her favorite story of what it was like for those souls damned to the Underworld compared to those in the world of the living. She said that those souls were separated from a place called Elysion by a river. The living would seek out life on the other shore of that river... in Elysion, while the souls in the Underworld yearned for life in the world that they could not return to: the world of the living. Lafrenze always listened intently to these stories. She was happy with her job as guardian to the Underworld... up to a certain extent.

"No... No!!!" Lafrenze screamed, as one of the souls cursed her and screamed at her. Another grabbed her and pulled her through the gate once more. Lafrenze began to cry as her clothes were torn up, and her skin was chewed and gnawed until it was raw. The souls kept attacking her, making her cough up blood... tearing her apart. It was a horrible experience. Lafrenze slowly began to die as each soul took turns tearing into her. But through a fog she heard the most beautiful sound she had ever heard in her life. It sounded like... like music... Lafrenze's eyes shot open, and she discovered that she had been sleeping up against a tree in the forest near her home. She had had a nightmare, and she thanked the heavens that it wasn't real. After praying for not only herself but, the angry souls in the Underworld she was now so afraid of, she wandered around the forest in search of the source of the enchanting music. Suddenly, she snuck around a corner, and upon catching a small glimpse of a person, she hid behind a tree. The person didn't notice her... and Lafrenze spied on him. He was a beautiful young man with light blond hair and sorrowful eyes. In his hands he held a lyre, which was what he was using to make that awe-striking music with. Lafrenze's heart began to beat faster and faster, her thoughts racing as she watched the man, his fingers gently moving across the strings of the lyre. The song had a very sad melody to it... but that mattered not to the dazzled, love-sick Lafrenze. It was truly love at first sight for her. Little did she know though that from nearby, Crimson Old Rose was watching her with a slightly terrified look on her face. _"I cannot let this happen,"_ she thought, slyly beginning to hurry back to her home to await Lafrenze's return by the evening.

After listening to the music of the young man for a while, Lafrenze did return home to find Crimson Old Rose standing by the fireplace. "Come over here, my child," she said, indicating with her finger that she wanted Lafrenze to stand by her for a moment. Lafrenze happily waltzed up to the witch and looked at her in the eyes. "Yes, Mother?" she asked kindly. Crimson Old Rose sighed. "Lafrenze... thou mustn't forget..." The witch coughed, and Lafrenze put her hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "F-forget what, Mother?" asked Lafrenze, with a slightly worried look on her face. The witch looked up. "Thou art the last guardian that protects this world... from the dead that nests in the underworld," she said, coughing again. Lafrenze smiled. "I know this, Mother! Don't worry," she assured her. But Crimson Old Rose shook her head. "Please, Lafrenze... Thou mustn't break the barrier of chastity..." Lafrenze turned deep red and looked down at her feet. She felt ashamed for thinking of that man in a way such as that when she knew nothing of him. But Crimson Old Rose smiled. "Thou hadn't had any knowledge of it until now," she began, "but if thou were to fall as deep into love as that, then thou art able to be rendered defenseless at any one moment, and would at that time be subject to infidelity." The witch spoke with kindness and comforted Lafrenze, easing her mind, helping her to forget the sinful thoughts she had earlier. Lafrenze smiled and hugged the witch, vowing to never fall too deeply in love with anyone... and to never break that barrier. With Lafrenze's promise, the witch felt more at ease. She was tired, and sent Lafrenze to prepare her bed for her. _"Ah…"_ thought the witch, _"But it is more than just deceived that thou wouldst feel… The future is an ominous haze…"_ Crimson Old Rose had a bad feeling about not just the lyrist, but what would become of Lafrenze and her possible child if she did break the barrier of chastity. _"Time shall only tell. The girl must be strong."_

Several months after her encounter with the man did his image leave Lafrenze's mind. Crimson Old Rose's condition had only worsened, and Lafrenze had to set out to the market every day now to get the proper medical supplies and food in order to keep the witch alive. Her words often echoed in Lafrenze's head, causing her to sometimes lose sleep as a result of it. _"Lafrenze... thou mustn't forget..."_ How could Lafrenze forget her place as guardian to the Underworld? How could she forget the nightmares? Over time, Lafrenze grew cold and alone, not talking to Crimson Old Rose as much as she had in past times. She regretted it... But every time she tried to talk to her, the witch would just keep bringing up the Underworld, reminding her of what to do and what not to do. Lafrenze's only hope of forgetting the gates at her home was for her to not speak of them, nor to hear them spoken of. Therefore, the simple solution was to halt talking to Crimson Old Rose. As Lafrenze finished paying for the last bit of milk she needed to get, she set out for home. In no time she had reached the door to her house, and she knocked loudly, singing out, "Mother, I'm home!" No reply followed. Lafrenze looked at the door, a bit puzzled. The curtains were even still pulled over the window from the morning... It was almost sun high. Lafrenze knocked again. "Art thou still sleeping, Mother? Why don't thou wake?" There was still no answer from Crimson Old Rose. Lafrenze tried to open the door, but it was locked. She had also locked it this morning when she left. She frowned, pounding harder on the door, and this time yelling, "Mother! Please let me in, I have what thou ordered me to fetch!" Suddenly, the door crept open... yet nothing stood behind it. Lafrenze brushed it off as nothing more than simple witchcraft her lazy mother had cast. Just as Lafrenze had originally guessed, Crimson Old Rose still laid in bed. Lafrenze walked up to her and set the items she'd bought down on the floor by her bedside, looking over the witch. "Mother, how can you sleep all day, and even through the racket I caused?" Lafrenze smiled and touched Crimson Old Rose's forehead... It was as cold as ice. The playful smile on Lafrenze's face instantly turned to a look of devastation. She fell back, shuffling on her backside further away from the death bed of the witch until her back touched the wall. Then she stood up slowly... and began to carefully walk toward Crimson Old Rose once more. She put her hand on the witch's throat to check her pulse, and her other hand above her mouth and nose to check her breathing. Nothing... there were no signs of life at all whatsoever. Lafrenze's eyes began to tear up... her heart sank... and she began to cry profusely. "No... Mother! Thou can't leave... Thou can't leave thy daughter here like this...!!!" Lafrenze cried for hours until nightfall, mourning the loss of Crimson Old Rose. At last, some men heard her cries, and offered to help her bury the witch and put her to rest. The site for her grave was that fateful spot where the witch had first found Lafrenze as a young, helpless, abandoned infant.

It wasn't long before Lafrenze learned what it was like to truly be alone, and to truly feel lonely. Lafrenze lived on her own now in this hut. She was on her own in the world from here on out. There wasn't even anyone who could give her advice. There was no one there for her. No one cared about Lafrenze, the daughter of the witch, anymore. Over time Lafrenze experienced the cold, bitter touch of isolation, becoming more isolated than she was even before Crimson Old Rose's death. Over time, Lafrenze began to change. From an innocent young girl, she became lustful, disobedient, and sometimes even irresponsible. She would pretend to tease the souls at the gates of the Underworld, hoping that someone would hear her cursing the Devil himself for taking the witch away from her. Whenever she wasn't cursing at the gates, she would call out Crimson Old Rose's name, wishing that she didn't have to be so lonely anymore. But it was to no avail. Her dear mother never answered... she never came back. After a while, Lafrenze sealed her lips, becoming a silent, emotionless young woman.

Seasons passed. Lafrenze hadn't spoken a word since Crimson Old Rose passed away. It seemed as though it would never change, until... he returned. The man that Lafrenze had heard almost a full year ago playing that wonderful music on his lyre... he was back! Lafrenze was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. At the first sound of the lyre, she was on her way to visit the grave of the witch. What luck was it that the melody was also coming from that direction? Lafrenze's feet began to speed up their movement, carrying her through the forest at a much swifter rate now. At long last, she stood before the man, who was playing a song at the grave of the witch. It was a sort or farewell song, as if he felt that it was still necessary to play a song for her all this time after she died. Lafrenze caught his eye, and her heart nearly stopped. She didn't know what to say as the lyrist got to his feet, smiling, and carrying the lyre at his left side. "Thou must be the daughter of the witch, Crimson Old Rose," he said kindly. How did he know of this...? Lafrenze nervously nodded. "Y-yes... I am Lafrenze," she replied. The man chuckled a bit. "I know that," he told her, putting his hand on her shoulder. Lafrenze began to turn an even brighter shade of red. There was a silence for a moment, before the man removed his hand from her shoulder and swept the light blond hair out of his face, revealing his seldom seen pale blue eyes. He spoke proudly, yet gently, smiling so warmly that even the nervous Lafrenze felt somewhat at ease. "Thou art the one who probably doesn't know me." Lafrenze shook her head, and the lyrist simply began to walk toward the other kingdom that Crimson Old Rose had left many a time ago. "My name," he called back to Lafrenze, "is Orpheus." Lafrenze hurriedly laid the flowers she had brought on the witch's grave and without so much as a prayer, ran after Orpheus, who continued on the path to the kingdom, his lyre now mounted on his back. She didn't know what to say, other than, "I-it is a great pleasure that one such as I am able to meet someone as magnificent as thou, Orpheus." Orpheus smiled and turned around to face Lafrenze, taking her hands. Lafrenze felt a rushing feeling like none other she had ever felt before shooting through her body... It was a magical feeling. "No, I am quite lucky to have found thee," he said. "Thou art a woman of ultimate beauty..." One of his hands brushed Lafrenze's silver hair away from her ear, and he leaned in, whispering to her these words: "I shall meet with thou again soon, but for the moment I must leave for my homeland." Then, holding Lafrenze in his arms, he firmly placed his lips against hers, kissing her for a long moment. Lafrenze gave in, and began to kiss him back. But no later had this happened did Orpheus part from her, running and waving farewell... He was gone over the horizon in what seemed like only a few seconds. Lafrenze wasn't alone anymore. Lafrenze had learned love, and wanted more. She wouldn't stop until she was able to take all of him for herself. The lust growing inside of Lafrenze began to grow at an even more back-breaking speed, and Lafrenze forgot the promise that she had made to Crimson Old Rose...

_"Lafrenze, thou mustn't forget..."_

Lafrenze kept thinking about Orpheus. Whatever she did, his image never left her mind, and the feeling of his kiss was never forgotten. She became obsessed with him, yearning for the next time she would be able to touch him. She knew that from the words he had said when they met so few days ago that they would soon be able to be together once more, and this time it wouldn't be in the forest, or at least the lusting Lafrenze hoped. Much to her pleasure... a few weeks later, while she was out finding herbs to create her elixirs with, she caught sight of Orpheus once more. She called out to him, and the both of them took hands. "Well it hasn't been as long as I would have thought!" he laughed. Lafrenze smiled at him, playfully kissing his lips. But something wasn't right... Orpheus seemed different. Something was definitely amiss... Lafrenze ignored this bad feeling though. Orpheus smiled at her, and even though his hair covered his eyes completely once more, Lafrenze felt them staring right into hers. "I hear that thou art the guardian of the Underworld, protector of its gates," he told her. Lafrenze looked slightly puzzled. "Yes, but how doth thou-?" Orpheus put a finger to her lips, shushing her. "It's not that hard to tell..." he hinted. Lafrenze still looked puzzled, but this didn't cause her to let go of Orpheus any time soon. Their foreheads touched, and he asked, "...Wouldst thou mind taking me to see them in person?" Lafrenze knew it was something she wasn't supposed to do. She had to refuse, but in a most disappointing conclusion decided that since they could be alone together, she would take him to the gates of the Underworld. Lafrenze nodded. "Yes," she began, "but we must set out a dark." Orpheus gladly agreed. After a while longer of talking and exchanging kisses with each other, the pair parted so that they would be able to prepare for their journey.

At last, nightfall came. Lafrenze was so excited that she could barely stand to wait any longer. She felt as though she would explode with the desire to be with Orpheus, even if it was near such a horrid place. Finally, the knock on the door broke the silence. Orpheus had arrived. Lafrenze stumbled as she hurried over to the door, throwing it wide open to see her love. Orpheus waited for her, lyre in hand, and a smile on his face. "Art thou ready to go?" he asked her, and Lafrenze nodded. She closed the door to her hut, locking the door, and then taking Orpheus's free hand. She led him through the dark, silent forest, until they were completely out of sight of the kingdom. They stood in a rather romantic, small clearing full of glowing fireflies and flowers that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. There, she began to chant an incantation... and the door to the Underworld appeared before them on the border of the clearing. Orpheus stared at it for a moment, lost in thought. Lafrenze tilted her head and put a hand on the back of his neck. "Is something wrong?" she kindly asked. Orpheus shook his head. "No, it's just that... it's amazing," he replied. Then he looked around at the clearing... and turned his gaze to Lafrenze. Her hair sparkled in the moonlight, and her eyes were as big and luminous as the fireflies that surrounded them. Suddenly, he moved Lafrenze out into the middle of the clearing, where the beams of moonlight shone down. The slightly confused girl just stared at him, wondering what he was doing. But soon his intentions became obvious. He removed the red dress that she wore over a long white gown. Lafrenze knew she mustn't give in to this temptation, she knew that it would be the biggest impure indulgence she would ever take... and as she began to kiss him, Crimson Old Rose's words echoed once more in her head. _"Thou mustn't break the barrier of chastity..."_ ...But Lafrenze paid it no attention. As Orpheus laid down, so too did Lafrenze, who was soon concealed beneath the man. Smothered by lust, Lafrenze allowed the act to continiue... and she embraced the moment so warmly. Her hands began to move without her thinking, and soon she lost all control over her mind and body, turning it all over to Orpheus. Seduced by the lyrist, Lafrenze fell defenseless.

It was the middle of the night when Lafrenze awoke, laying naked in the middle of the clearing. Remembering what happened, she quickly gathered her things, feeling somewhat alarmed. _"W-what have I done?!"_ she thought, worried about the consequences that would follow the scandalous act. She looked around, covering herself up with her red dress. Something wasn't right... Where was Orpheus-? She looked over at the gates of the Underworld, and she felt an imbalance. Something was indefinitely wrong. Lafrenze stood staring at the gates for a moment, but then she began to search the small section of the woods for Orpheus. But while she was hidden in the bushes, she heard footsteps coming from behind the gates, as if they were ascending stairs. It wasn't just one pair of foot steps though... It sounded as if there were two people coming. She peaked through the gates of the Underworld for the first time... and saw not hell yet, nor Paradise, but stairs... stairs that Orpheus was ascending with another young maiden. Lafrenze could hear her heart breaking as she looked at Orpheus, running up the stairs, holding another woman's hand, telling her how much he missed her, how much he cared for her... Not only was this girl obviously close to him, but the girl, named Eurydice... was his wife. Lafrenze was filled with feelings of anger... _"How dare he betray me?!?! How dare he use me?!?!"_ Lafrenze shut the gates and let them keep ascending the stairs, slowly making their way back to the surface. Suddenly, Lafrenze began to chuckle to herself, just the way Crimson Old Rose had before her house was burned. Only this time, Lafrenze's laugh was followed by a song... It was a song with a beautiful melody, but its true form was a cruel curse as compensation for Orpheus's betrayal. After the short song, Lafrenze began to laugh even louder, and as she began to walk home, it seemed to grow into even more of the now dead witch's mad cackle. _"Ah... soon he... he will look back..."_

_Thus, the door to Paradise was opened..._

End Chapter II


End file.
